CAN’T ANYONE HERE DO MATH?

While Gov. Bruce Rauner continues to rail against an education funding bill he claims is a bailout for Chicago schools, the man who vowed to shake up Springfield still isn’t showing us the numbers. A week ago, the governor briefly put his own calculations of how much school districts would gain – or lose – on the official gubernatorial website (the one that’s paid for by taxpayers), then required a password to see the numbers. This week, amid growing concern that downstate districts would lose money under the gov’s plan, the Illinois State Board of Education announced that it can’t do its own analysis because – surprise, surprise, surprise – the Department of Revenue, which is directly under the governor’s control, gave the board erroneous figures to use in evaluating the governor’s proposal. The Department of Revenue brought the mistake to the board’s attention, according to a board press release, so there’s that. But there’s also this: The board says that once it figures out just how much public money public school districts will get from the state, it won’t release those figures to the public unless Rauner gives his blessing. Shaking up Springfield? Sounds like more backroom dealing, same as it ever was.